Awaken
by whatanauthorsgottado
Summary: Anubin, frozen in carbonite during the first war with the Eternal Empire, is thawed out thirty-six hundred years into the future. All he wants is to retire, but it seems the Force has other plans for him.
1. Chapter 1

The whole team except for Alira gaped. On her part, she simply smirked. She'd known something would be here, underneath the reclaiming jungle, even if it was just the rubble and dust of a long-dead civilization. That was their trade, after all, as archaeologists.

"Quit standing there like nerf-herders in front of a Jedi! Get to work!" The call broke everyone from their respective reveries and they followed her command, shifting rubble and pushing jungle away from their worksites.

As the head archaeologist, she didn't engage in the grunt work, instead choosing to supervise everyone else extracting everything that wasn't plain old durasteel. This area was a goldmine, apparently – the team found everything from several ancient lightsabers to old armor to a used carbonite freezing frame, long emptied of its inhabitant.

After some time, one member of the team signalled her. "Think I found something really good!"

"What is it, Artsie?" She picked her way over the rubble to her team member.

"Block of carbonite again – but this one's got someone inside! Looks like he's alive, too!" He sounded positively giddy, which made sense. Alira shared the feeling.

"No way. Get it out, then!"

She helped him push aside the rubble to reveal more of the carbonite block. She called one of the team with a hover-platform over, and together the three hefted the carbonite block onto it.

Alira studied the carbonite block. A man, judging by the shape of his face, and a Zabrak judging by the horns. According to the readout on the side of the block, he was indeed alive, which made her gasp in excitement. A real live ancient man… Who knew what they could learn from him? It was any archaeologist's wet dream come to life in front of them.

"I'm taking him back to camp," she said. "Shouldn't release him until we've got better med facilities, so he'll have to stay in there until we get back to the Core."

"He'll survive," Artsie guffawed. "After all, he's survived this long!"

* * *

The team didn't have the med facilities to make sure the man could survive the thawing process, even back on Coruscant, so they had to make a deal with the Jedi to use their med facilities. They agreed, on the condition that one of their archivists got to speak with the man, which the team thought was a good deal, all things considered.

Alira and the rest of the team watched through the window as a med droid tapped in the commands that would release the man from his carbonite prison. Immediately, the carbonite began to glow orange around the man's face, melting away to reveal orange-red and black skin. Next were his hands, which went limp from their outstretched position as soon as they were no longer being supported. His body followed, then his feet, dropping the man into the waiting arms of the medical droid, who carried him to a bacta tank and got him ready for immersion.

While he was being prepped, Alira studied him further. She'd never seen a Zabrak with skin that colour, and she wondered where he came from. On his face, over the tattoos, were what looked like burn scars. They spread to below his chin. Strangely, they looked as though they were in a specific pattern.

He was wearing a skin-tight white formal suit with a red half-cape, cinched at his waist with a wide brown leatheris belt. The style of his suit tickled Alira's memory, but she just couldn't quite place it.

She turned to their textile expert. "Do you recognize the cut of his suit?"

He stepped forward to the window to examine it before the med droid removed it. "Cold war era. Looks like something a Senator might wear. Must have been some kind of a politician."

"Why would a politician have scars like those?" she wondered aloud, then shook his head. "Whatever. We can ask him later. Let's leave him to be treated."

The team followed her silently out of the observation room.

* * *

It was too bright.

That was Anubin's first thought as his eyes opened. Too bright and too wet for them to stay open, so he immediately closed them. His second thought was that he hadn't been able to see anything when he opened his eyes, though it was possible that that was because of the fluid around him.

He reached out in the Force to "see" his surroundings, a trick he'd picked up from Darth Marr a long time ago, on one of those rare occasions when the Miraluka wasn't wearing his mask. Around him were nothing but medical droids and beds, plus two more tanks, similar to the one he was evidently floating in. He retracted his sense as one of the droids realized he was awake and approached.

He waved to get its attention. "Where am I?" he tried to ask, but was hampered by the breathing tube in his mouth.

Suddenly, the fluid began shifting around him. As air touched the top of his head, he realized that it was being drained from the tank, freeing him. As soon as the fluid went below his chin, he reached up and removed the breathing tube from his mouth.

"Where am I?" he asked again, properly this time. The medical droid didn't respond – maybe it couldn't hear him, or wasn't programmed to respond. It didn't matter, as an actual person entered the room in the next moment.

He extended his Force senses again and brushed against the person. A human male, a Jedi judging from the wall around his thoughts and the way he recoiled at Anubin's touch. Anubin pulled his senses back to himself once more as the man recovered and approached.

"Are you alright? You weren't supposed to wake up yet."

That was interesting. Anubin took quick inventory of his body. Aside from a slight aching in his chest and a continued inability to see his surroundings even with his eyes open, he didn't feel much of anything wrong. "I'm fine. Where am I?"

"You're in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. You were brought here by a team of archaeologists who excavated you and released you from carbonite freezing. You were brought here to recover from hibernation sickness."

The Jedi Temple? But that was just ruins. How was he in a perfectly intact medcenter on Coruscant of all places? And if he really was in the Jedi Temple, how had they not recognized him as Sith?

Wait… archaeologists?

Apparently he'd asked the last question aloud, since the man responded. "Yes, archaeologists. They found you in the ruins of a building on a world in the Unknown Regions. They guessed based on your clothing that you were from the Cold War era. That was over thirty-six hundred years ago."

Anubin's head spun. Thirty-six hundred years… Everyone he knew and loved was long dead, and probably forgotten. He was the only one who remembered anyone – Darth Marr, Advena, Satele Shan, Khem Val…

Talos. Archaeologists. Right. He could mourn later.

"I see," he forced out. "Will I get to meet these archaeologists?"

"They did want to meet you, but they'll have to wait until your medical examination is over. You nearly didn't survive the extraction from carbonite; in fact, it was a miracle you survived at all. We want to make sure you're healthy before we release you from care."

Anubin's eyes flew open, to no avail except for dramatic purposes. A med examination would reveal oddities from his reconstruction on Belsavis… which would mean nothing to anyone who wasn't there or didn't know about the story. He relaxed. "Very well. Finish your medical examination then."

The Jedi noticed his tension, though. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I was, however, wondering… where are my effects? My clothes and my lightsaber?"

"Lightsaber? Are you a Jedi?"

Well, if he was being handed such a convenient cover story… "Yes." He knew probably enough about the Jedi to pass as one. He'd traveled with one, after all, and loved another, so he was fine.

"The archaeologist team likely has your lightsaber. Your clothes are being examined by them right now, as well. You'll get them back when they're done."

"Fine." He said no more, and the Jedi eventually left him alone with the medical droids.

* * *

About a week later, the medical authorities of the Jedi declared him fit for visitors, and so Alira and Artsie trooped into the med bay to meet their prize while the rest of the team watched from the observation window.

The man was sitting cross-legged in bed, eyes closed. His sheets were floating in a ball in front of him. Apparently he was meditating. At the sound of them stepping into the room, however, the sheet ball dropped to the bed and he turned to face them, revealing a bandage around his eyes – probably bacta-soaked.

"Hello. You must be the archaeologists I've heard about?"

"Hello! Yes, I'm Alira, and this is Artsie. We've just come to ask you some questions, nothing too big just yet."

His face, from what they could see of his expression, seemed a little suspicious, but his shoulders were relaxed. "Very well. First, can I ask you a question?"

"Uh… sure. Shoot."

"Where are my clothes? And did you excavate my lightsaber with me?"

"Your clothes are… I can have them brought in. And we excavated several lightsabers. What did yours look like? And are you a Jedi?"

"Yes. And it's a double-bladed lightsaber with two extensions at either end." He mimed the shape in midair as he described it. Alira recognized the idea.

"Yes, we do have a lightsaber like that. I'll ask the Jedi if we can return it to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you." He relaxed a little more. "So, what did you want to ask?"

"What's your name, first?"

"Anubin. Anubin Tarmikos."

"Alright. And…"

The archaeologists spent almost two hours with him, drawing out recent – for him – history and some stories of his travels. Eventually, Anubin refused to answer any more questions, saying he was tired, but he did ask one question. "Have you ever heard of a woman called Advena Tarmikos?"

"No, should I have?" Alira felt a pang at his crestfallen expression. "Was she your wife?"

"My sister. I was hoping to find out what had happened to her after Zakuul's invasion, but… I suppose not." He was silent for a moment. "Thank you."

Without another word, the two archaeologists left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

He was playing this old Jedi for a fool.

The old historian was so desperate to know any little tidbit about the Jedi and Sith of his time that he had her eating out of the palm of his hand. In half an hour, he'd learned more about the state of the galaxy than he could have in several hours in an archive.

It was rather boring, really. The Republic had gone through a major reformation about a thousand years ago, following the Jedi's apparent complete and utter defeat of the Sith. The galaxy was now in a state of peace that looked to last nearly forever.

Anubin had managed to learn some about the Jedi as well. It looked like they hadn't advanced much since his time; by and large, they were still the same holier-than-thou stiffs as ever, as evidenced by his medics and the way the historian tended to act if he asked any questions about the Sith or any such thing. He hadn't expected much more from the Jedi, but he was still amazed at how little they changed in attitude if not knowledge. At least the Sith adapted.

Speaking of the Sith, he highly doubter they were really gone. He could sense the Dark Side lurking in the flow of the Force, and as long as that existed, so too would the Sith.

In any case, Anubin had little interest in any Sith of this time – their history was excepted, as he wanted to know what had happened to the Empire. He just wanted to retire, honestly. He'd had the upheaval of a lifetime and he was tired. The galaxy at large could go hang as far as he was concerned.

"...so we often don't feel the need to seriously train the younglings in martial skills," the old Jedi finished. "It's just not practical in these peaceful times to focus on combat where we could be training them in diplomacy or philosophy. Besides, the mere glimpse of a lightsaber is enough to dissuade most criminals and the like from continuing with their wrongdoing."

Anubin started out of his reverie. "Emerale would be disappointed," he muttered. "She lived by the lightsaber."

"Emerale?"

"A friend of mine. She was Battlemaster of the Jedi Order."

"I see. Well, the closest thing we have to a Battlemaster nowadays is Master Windu. He invented his own Form, you know."

"Did he?"

"Oh yes. He calls it Vaapad. It's a form of Juyo..."

Anubin considered this while the lady prattled on. He never could beat Emerale in combat – only Advena ever had, and they were quite evenly matched – but facing this Windu character... it would be a good test of the Jedi Order's strength.

"Is there any way I could spar with Master Windu? I'm quite curious about this Form he's created."

"I don't see why not. It would be an excellent opportunity to learn more about how skilled the Jedi of your time were at combat. I could ask him tonight... the medics will want to get you into the sparring halls to practice before the match, to make sure you've recovered enough to spar. In fact, if you do, I'd quite like to record your sessions, if that's acceptable?"

"Sure."

Anubin considered his tactics. He couldn't use lightning, most likely – it would make his Sith training rather too obvious. But he remembered Taysin, and how she threw objects around in combat... If need be, he could stoop to that. They wanted to see how he fought after all, and the underhanded tactics were all part of that. Besides, he wanted to give them a bit of a show...

* * *

Windu agreed to spar with Anubin a week from then. During the intermittent week, the medics set Anubin to practicing with a training saber to make sure he was healthy enough for the match.

"I'm not used to single-bladed sabers," he informed the medics after the first session. "Have the archaeologists returned my lightsaber?"

"They have, but we're not yet sure you're able to use it. Please continue with the lightsaber you've been given."

Anubin spent two days muddling around trying to remember the Forms for single-bladed sabers, watching some classes of younglings practice the basic movements of Shii-Cho, and generally offering disappointing material for the historian's holocam before the medics gave in and returned his saber. He felt better when he held it – it was something familiar to him, a piece of his old time, like one of his companions returned to follow him again.

Just as he had in his own time, he swung the twin blades around like extensions of himself. As he'd promised, he put on a show, defeating the medics who agreed to spar with him with a flair he'd rarely had opportunity to show in the past.

Anubin noticed that his sessions tended to attract little audiences – evidently, knowledge of his presence, either as a man from the distant past or simply as a strange Jedi, had spread through the Temple. In any case, he didn't much mind the audience, and made sure that he was showing off as much as he could while still fighting as well as he could.

"I've never seen such incredible use of a lightsaber!" the old historian enthused after he defeated two of the medics at the same time. "The use of double-bladed lightsabers has become rare since the Ruusan Reformation, you know, so no one in the order now has ever seen a double bladed lightsaber in use before. It seems as though it should be rather difficult, but you move with it so easily – wherever did you learn to handle a double-bladed lightsaber? Were there many Jedi who used them?"

"There were some," he answered vaguely. "I knew at least two, and knew of a handful more – the Grand Master of the order included. I learned some of my techniques from her." He smiled at the memories of sparring with Satele and Marr, and the other athletics that came after. They'd had good times, the three of them.

"Incredible! You knew one of the Grand Masters? Which one?"

"Satele Shan."

The old lady's face fell. "Ah. Yes." She leaned in close with the air of one holding a great secret. "You do know she was known to have had... relations... with Sith Lords, yes?"

"I never would have imagined."

"Oh, yes. History has no record of the Sith Lords' names, but it was said she was deeply smitten with them, and that one's ghost even accompanied her after his death! Can you believe it? A Sith Lord and a Jedi Master! It's unthinkable!"

"Indeed." So Marr had died before Satele, likely on the same day Anubin had sensed it – he'd have to check an archive and see if there was an exact date for his death. Fortunately, he'd stayed with her. Anubin felt the pain of his loves' losses as keenly as he had on the day he'd felt Marr's death, so many years ago and yet so little time ago for him.

There were a lot of things after his time he'd have to check an archive to find out, but that would have to wait, he supposed.

"So can you tell me more of Satele Shan? She left some writings, but they only give a small glimpse into what she was like."

Anubin, feeling nostalgic, recounted some stories of his interactions with Satele, avoiding some more personal ones and those that would give him away. He wouldn't want to throw the historian too big of a bone, lest she choke on it and destroy his chances at peace.

* * *

The match with Windu was over practically before it began. As skilled as the Jedi was for his time, and as odd as his Form was, Anubin had the edge of brutal Sith lightsaber training and experience in war. Windu stood no chance.

They went three rounds. Anubin purposefully made some mistakes and put on as much of a show as he could in order to make the matches last longer, and to entertain the audience that had shown up shortly after Windu had arrived, but in the end, Windu was like a young acolyte with their first lightsaber compared to him.

"It's impressive how the Order's skill at combat has decayed," Anubin muttered during one round. "I suppose war has a benefit in some ways."

Of course, Windu heard his remarks, so after the match, he had to ask what they meant.

"I simply meant that, as impressive as your skill is, it's lacking in comparison to the skill of some of my Order's best," Anubin explained smoothly. "Your historian has told me that your people have been putting aside combat training for philosophical pursuits, and I can see that in the way you fight. Of course, it's possible you weren't using your full strength, which I sincerely hope is not true; I'd hate for you to go easy on me."

"I wasn't going easy on you. You're right, though, the Jedi have been focusing away from combat. But these are times of peace; you can see why we wouldn't need lightsaber combat."

"No, I understand. It's just rather a pity; in my time, we could face down the Sith and match whatever they threw at us. Like I said, war apparently has its benefits."

"War is never a good thing for the galaxy. Look what your war did to it."

"Which one? The war against the Sith or Zakuul? Both were devastating, I know."

One of the audience members piped up. "What's Zakuul?"

Anubin looked to the historian. "Is the war against Zakuul not in your archives?"

"There are some mentions of an Empire in the Unknown Regions, besides the Sith Empire, but there are few records of it. Some writings from a Sith Lord named Advena, and a few mentions of a war from a Grand Master of the Jedi, but they're not overly informative."

Anubin returned his attention to Windu long enough to offer a quick bow. "Thank you for the match. It was very informative." He turned back to the historian. "May I see these writings?"

"Certainly. They're in the Archives." She led him out of the room, leaving Windu and their audience behind.


	3. Chapter 3

Anubin held the datapad of Advena's writings like a child. He could tell it was her writing; it looked too much like his own – uncertain, as though the writer had only recently learned how to write – to be anyone else's.

A quick skim of the contents – after he'd decrypted it and figured out the ciphers on each file – revealed that it was a diary of sorts – it contained files relevant to a resistance she'd run, plus some personal records and memos. One of the earliest pages was a letter from Quinn, her husband. Anubin teared up reading it, remembering how lost he'd felt when he thought she was dead. He was glad to have proof that she hadn't died with Marr after all.

He spent several hours going over the contents of the datapad and taking notes on his own. It detailed every battle they'd fought, including strategies from before the battles and notes about casualties and improvements that needed to be made. At the end of the renewed war against Zakuul, he learned, Advena had ascended the Eternal Throne and worked towards merging the Republic, the Sith Empire, and the Eternal Empire for the rest of her life. She'd worked out a peace agreement between the three, with the help of Emerale – who'd become Supreme Chancellor of the Republic – and Acina, who'd become Empress of the SIth.

He couldn't help but shudder at that thought. He remembered Acina as thinking she was far stronger than she was, and believing she was above all others. Acina as Empress... she couldn't have done a very good job, he suspected.

That being said, he was proud of his sister; she'd worked hard to try to achieve galactic peace, and by her journal entries, she'd done well at it.

The very last entry in the datapad was a letter addressed to Anubin.

 _Dear brother,_

 _I know that the odds of you ever reading this are astronomical – especially since, in all likelihood, you died in the first war against Zakuul, while I slept in carbonite – but I felt I had to write it anyway._

 _It's been four years since I took the Eternal Throne. I'm happliy married to Quinn, a man named Koth Vortena who was in the resistance, and Arcann, the former Emperor of Zakuul._

 _I know what you must be thinking – Arcann? Is she crazy? - but he's changed a great deal. His mind was healed of his hatred on Voss, and he's given up on his cruel and selfish ways. He's quite sweet, now, and I love him dearly._

 _We have two children, a four-year-old child named Lakra Senya Tarmikos, and a two-year-old son named Anubin Nevra Tarmikos. I tell them stories of their wonderful uncle and his exploits with the two greatest mentors I ever knew. I wish you could meet them._

 _Beyond affairs with my family, the galaxy at large is thriving. The renewed Sith Empire and the Republic are now – finally – at peace, along with the Eternal Empire. This is thanks in great measure to the new Chancellor, Emerale – I would have never thought of her as having a political bent, but there you have it. She left the Jedi Order after the second war with Zakuul, and ran for Chancellor. She won by a landslide. I'm quite proud of her._

 _Speaking of the Jedi Order, there have been some difficulties in the peace caused by clashes between Jedi and Sith – nothing too major, but enough that I suspect their difficulties will never be reconciled completely. I continue my efforts to consolidate the two orders, however, or at least encourage learning from both sides rather than only one. It seems impossible some days, but I remain optimistic._

 _I miss you incredibly, Anubin. Your loss hurts, and not least because I have no body to bury. It rubs salt into the open wound. It's odd, though; our bond isn't broken, like I would expect of your death, but rather it's like it drops off into a deep darkness from which there is no escape. I am hopeful that you will escape, though. I continue to send forces to search for you, and I likely will until you are found or I am dead. I love you, Anubin. I will not give up on you._

 _Your companions also miss you terribly. Poor Talos Drellik hasn't gotten over your disappearance yet. He says he's leaving a log of events for you on Dromund Kaas, Rishi, and Yavin Four. I believe he's as hopeful as I am that you'll come back soon. He's sort of adopted himself into our family, and he dotes on little Anubin. It's very sweet. He says he made some sort of vow to you and your family, and that vow stretches to me and mine as well. His subservience makes me a little uncomfortable. He's helpful, but sometimes he reminds me of the way our mother acted towards Azarath. He means well, though, so I won't say anything._

 _Little Anubin is crying for me, so I must go. I hope that someday, when you read this letter, it will be with me beside you, and we will laugh together at my sentimentality._

 _Your twin, who misses you greatly,_

 _Advena_

Anubin's eyes welled up and tears dripped down his face. He bowed his head, finally allowing his grief to catch up to him. It hit him all at once: everyone he'd ever known was dead, gone, and long forgotten. Few, if any, traces of anyone he'd known remained on the galaxy.

He allowed himself his pain, allowed himself to cry for them, allowed himself to feel like who he really was: Not Darth Occlus, the smooth, overconfident Lord of the Dark Council, but Anubin, the lost, scared boy who'd had his sister taken from him, who'd been sent to Korriban to live among the Sith. He was simply Anubin, a boy in pain that nothing could help.

He cried out his grief to the Force and let it soothe his pain. He knew that many of the Jedi would feel his cry, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to be rid of his pain, to be consoled.

Slowly, in the embrace of the Force, he returned to himself. He pushed the pain back in his mind, slipping his façade on like a well-worn set of clothing. When he felt like he was back in his best place, he opened his eyes to find a short green alien standing on the desk in front of him.

"Better, you feel? Often find I do that heal great wounds, the Force can."

Anubin closed his mouth. "I... feel a little better, yes. May I ask who you are?"

The being ignored this. "A loud cry, that was. Feel your grief from across the Temple, I did." His great green eyes peered into Anubin's. "The Jedi from the distant past, you are. Skilled you are at lightsaber combat. Not so skilled at controlling your emotions."

"If you'd woken from carbonite to find all your friends and family dead, you'd not be so composed either!"

The being ignored this as well, bending to pick up Advena's datapad. "Disturb you did this datapad?" He made to throw it away.

"No!" Anubin lunged for the datapad and snatched it from the being's hands. "Those are my sister's writings. Don't damage them."

"Hm. A great attachment to your sister, you have. Dangerous, it is, for a Jedi to have such attachments."

"Love is not such a great danger, I find. In fact -"

Before Anubin could continue, the door opened and the historian stepped in.

"Master Yoda! Come to meet Anubin, have you?"

"Yes."

"You're Yoda," Anubin said, deadpan. "The Grand Master of the Order."

"I am."

"…A pleasure." Anubin turned to the historian. "Can I keep this datapad?"

"I'm not sure..."

"It was my sister's. She was very dear to me, and I... I'd like to have something of hers."

"You're the Anubin from the letter?"

At his nod, the historian relaxed. "I see. It might be possible... we could transfer the files to another datapad, and you could keep the original. I shall have to ask Master Nu if it can be done."

"A symbol of attachment, this is," Yoda interjected. "A dangerous symbol, the writings. Workings of the Sith, they are."

"My sister was no ordinary Sith. She followed the light, and worked for peace where she could. Besides, all these are is a history of a war, in essence."

"You decoded the writings?" The historian looked thrilled. "I tried to do so in my day, but I was never much good with codes and ciphers. I'd love to see your notes."

"Let's ask your Master Nu about the datapad first." Anubin slipped his own datapad into his belt pouch, then stood and bowed to Yoda. "Good to meet you."

Yoda stared at him. "Over, our conversation is not. Speak to you on this matter again, I will." He hopped down from the table and left the room.

Anubin stared after him for a moment, then looked back to the historian. "Is he always like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's... well... never mind. Let's go find this Master Nu."


	4. Chapter 4

Anubin spent much of his time either in the Archives studying or in the Room of a Thousand Fountains meditating. He was trying to learn all he could about this incarnation of the Republic, in order to prepare for his leaving the Temple finally, though he could only spend a few hours a day looking at the records – the medics didn't want him to strain his eyes. Oh, how little they knew about how much time he usually spent in archives.

He spent one day looking up the records of his own time – though they were few and far between. Besides Advena's journal and the writings of the Grand Master after Satele – who turned out to be Taysin – most of the information centred around the Cold War, which of course Anubin had lived through. He managed to stumble upon some profiles of major players during the Cold War, including Darth Marr, Satele, Advena, and himself, among others. He opened his own profile out of morbid curiosity to discover nothing but a short biography of his time as Darth Occlus, written by Talos. There was nothing about his past, nothing about his fate; not even a holo of him. Which he supposed was fortunate, but it was a little pathetic how thin on the ground the information was.

He also opened Satele and Marr's profiles and just stared at their images for a while. He missed them terribly.

His time meditating was spent searching for the spirits of his loved ones in the Force, but none of them were forthcoming. Still, all the time spent meditating seemed to be doing him some good; he felt calmer than he had in a very long time, and had an idea of how to go forward. All that was needed was to leave the Temple and find himself a ship.

His meditations were occasionally interrupted by curious Padawans and younglings, who wanted to know more about his experiences. He didn't much mind the interruptions; he'd always liked children, and he was always happy to work against stiff Jedi doctrine in any way possible. Of course, there wasn't much he could do with them under the watchful eyes of his main medic, but he could at least open their minds to something other than the Jedi code.

During one such storytelling session, he noticed a group of older Padawans listening from afar, trying not to seem too interested, apparently. When he was finished the story he was telling, he beckoned the older group closer as the crowd of little ones dispersed.

"Did you want something?"

One of the group, a Mon Calamari, stepped forward. "We heard about your fight with Master Windu, but we missed watching it. Is it true you fight with a double-bladed lightsaber?"

"It is." Anubin ignited it and twirled it around, showing it off. The group watched him spin the bright orange blades around with some awe.

"Amazing! Where did you learn to use it?"

"The Grand Master of the Order taught me some tricks to use it well, but it was one of the Temple instructors who first showed me." He remembered Lord Samus vaguely; he'd been fairly affable for a Sith, and the skills he'd taught had saved Anubin's life countless times. "His skills with the twin blades were impressive, and his knowledge helped me a great deal."

"Can you show us something?" one of the girls asked eagerly. "Some of the Forms, maybe? I want to see!"

"I can show you the basics. We shouldn't do it here, though. I suspect your Masters wouldn't be impressed by the disruption."

The group led him to a small practice room, where he proceeded to show them the basics Shii-Cho form for the dual-bladed lightsaber. He even sparred with the one that the group deemed the best at combat – one Obi-Wan Kenobi – who managed to hold his own, though Anubin was going easy. Afterwards, he let them pass it around, but he kept the blades turned off using the Force.

After some time, an older man with long hair and a short beard entered the room. He surveyed the group, pausing for a moment on Anubin before landing on Obi-Wan.

"Obi-Wan, I've been looking for you. The Council has requested our presence." His eyes flickered to Anubin, and they took on a rather mischievous gleam. "You oughtn't let them hold your lightsaber for long – they may not want to give it back."

"Master Qui-Gon!"

"I won't," Anubin laughed, lifting his lightsaber out of the Mon Calamari's hands towards the ceiling. Qui-Gon chuckled and left the room, Obi-Wan following.

"I suppose that should end this demonstration," Anubin said, placing his lightsaber back on his belt. There was a chorus of 'aw's from the group, but he brokered no argument, and headed back to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to continue his meditation.

Just as he could swear he could sense Satele's presence, he was interrupted by the approach of a Jedi.

"The Council wishes to speak with you."


	5. Chapter 5

Anubin dawdled for a while before making his way to see the Jedi Council. It wouldn't do for them to think he operated at their beck and call, after all.

When he finally arrived in the Council chamber, Windu gestured for him to stand in the centre of the circle of chairs.

"Tell us, our medics do, that ready you are to leave the Temple. Feel ready, do you?"

"I was ready weeks ago. Your medics are very anxious when it comes to me. I am not made of glass."

They were worried for good reason. You came out of carbonite after thirty-six hundred years; most people would be affected by that for longer than a few weeks, even if they were Jedi."

"Probably. I am not most people."

"Clearly."

"In any case, if your medics believe that I am ready, then I'll take my leave. I have to… I have to find out what's happened to the galaxy in my absence. I want to see it firsthand."

"Rejoin the Jedi Order, you will not?"

"No… not yet. I can't. Perhaps later, but… not yet."

"Understand, I do. Young, you are, though born many years ago you were. See the galaxy, you must."

"Exactly."

"A ship, you need. And have one, you do not."

"I'm sure public shuttles between planets still exist."

"They do," Windu agreed, "but before you leave, the archaeologist team who found you want to speak to you."

"What makes them think I want to speak to them? I've had enough of being interrogated about my past."

"It doesn't matter," one of the other Council members butted in. "You owe it to the galaxy to recount what you know of history."

"I owe the galaxy nothing," Anubin snapped. "The galaxy has taken everything from me. Any debt I may have owed is well settled."

"Peace," Yoda said. "Consider speaking to these archaeologists, you should. Force you to do so, we will not. Go, you may."

"Very well." Anubin left.

On his way out of the Temple, he was stopped by a mousy woman with light brown hair. "Hey! I've been looking for you! The Jedi said you were okay to go!"

Something about her voice seemed familiar, and Anubin realized it was because she was the archaeologist who had spoken with him on his first day. What was her name again? Alira, he thought.

"I don't want to talk to you."

Alira started slightly, then smiled in what she must have assumed was a winning way. "I guess not. I wouldn't want to either. But… I can make you a deal…"

Anubin rolled his eyes. "What kind of deal could you possibly offer to make me want to be interrogated on my past?"

"We can offer you a ride around the galaxy."

Anubin stopped and glared at her suspiciously. "How did you know I don't have a ship?"

"It only makes sense. You've kind of been in carbonite for the last couple thousand years; any ship would have disintegrated by then."

He scowled. "We'll see. Say I were to give you my story. What would happen then?"

"We'd take you wherever you wanted to go, no questions asked, no strings attached. No one even has to know, if you don't want them to."

"Wherever I want."

"Yep."

"Say it was on the very far reaches of the Rim."

"Sure."

"Or Wild Space, where you first found me."

Her eyes glittered. "Absolutely. I'd love another crack at those ruins we found you in."

"What about after that?"

"We can take you to a couple of different planets, if you need."

Anubin considered the offer for a moment. He sighed. "Very well. You have a deal."

Alira grinned. "Great. Now, where do you want to do the interview? We have a headquarters in the Senate District, just around the corner from here, or we can head back to my apartment if you want, it's not far either. Or a cantina, but our conversation could attract some unwanted attention."

"Actually, a cantina sounds wonderful. I haven't had a drink in… Well, far too long, it seems."

"Sounds good. There's one I know just around here, it serves the best Corellian ale I've ever tasted…"

Alira led him to the back of the cantina, at a table in the corner where they could see the entrance. Anubin downed a shot of hypervodka as soon as it arrived, and then – before he could think better of it – ordered an Emperor's Wrath, which was a cocktail he and Advena had made up once on a long bender shortly after he had joined the Dark Council. He then had to explain the drink to the waitress droid, who told him flatly that they didn't serve half of the alcohols needed for the drink. Instead, he ordered a Balmorran whiskey on the rocks, which he drank more slowly than the vodka.

"So where'd that come from?" Alira asked.

"My sister and I came up with it. It tastes alright, but it's better when you're already drunk."

She laughed. "I bet."

As the two discussed history, Anubin began to feel a prickling deep in his chest. He felt around the cantina with his Force senses, but didn't find anything unusual.

"Something up?"

"I… I can sense something off. Like something bad is coming. I think it might be time we retired."

"Good idea. Let's head back to my apartment."

The pair left the restaurant and headed in the direction of the shuttles that would take them to Alira's apartment. Before they made it more than a hundred meters, though, they were stopped by a Zabrak with red skin pulling a lightsaber on them.

Anubin blocked the first strike with his own lightsaber, drawn faster than he could blink. He retaliated, but the stranger leapt back out of the way.

Anubin pressed the attack, attempting to keep the strange Zabrak on the defensive. Unfortunately, the other was more muscular than he was, and therefore had the advantage in power over Anubin. That wasn't to say that he had any other advantages, though; as the fight went on, it became clear that Anubin was better trained with a double-bladed lightsaber.

The other Zabrak thrust out his hand. Anubin felt the Force push before it hit, and countered with a burst of his own power. The other Zabrak was pushed back a few feet; clearly, Anubin had the advantage in Force power as well.

Anubin sent out a burst of lightning, which was barely blocked by the Zabrak's lightsaber; unfortunately for him, Anubin took advantage of the momentary distraction to stab at him. That blow landed square in his chest, and Anubin dragged his lightsaber down to quickly end the stranger's life.

Anubin called the other Zabrak's lightsaber to him and inspected it. It was a wonder the thing still worked, it was in such rough condition. He clipped it to his belt for further examination later; then, to get away from the crowd that had formed around the battle, he grabbed Alira's hand and pushed through the crowd, cloaking himself as soon as he was outside of the ring of spectators. He trusted that the Jedi would take care of the body, since a pair of them had just arrived further up the street, in the direction Anubin and Alira had come from.

Alira didn't react to anything until Anubin pulled them into an alley and faced her. "Are you alright?"

"Uh..." She shook her head. "Where are we?"

"In an alley a little ways away from the cantina. Do you recall what just happened?"

"Um... some guy tried to kill you, and you... Oh Force, you killed him. He's dead. Why did you kill him?"

"Last I remember, the galaxy was at war. That's not a mindset you forget about quickly." He held his hand up to her forehead, then waved it around in front of her face. Her eyes didn't follow it. "You're in shock."

"No, I... I'm okay. Or I will be." She focused again. "Let's get back to my apartment."

"That would be best."

When they arrived at Alira's apartment, she collapsed on the bed. "Oh Force."

"Are you alright?"

"Not really. You... you disemboweled that guy. That's pretty awful."

"Some of the things people do that leave others alive at the end are worse. That said, it must have been a shocking experience. You should rest."

"Yeah. Rest. I'm gonna see that guy's face in my nightmares."

"I won't, but your nightmares are probably much tamer than mine. Sleep. I'll take the couch."

* * *

When morning came, fortunately, Alira was feeling much better. She continued their interview from the night before, with the aid of a holocam and a tall whiskey on the rocks for Anubin.

After they finished, Alira brought Anubin to the archaeologist team's headquarters, which was a small lab that had clearly been intended as a studio apartment in a building not far from Alira's apartment. What appeared to be the rest of the team was already assembled, and they all stood as Anubin entered the lab.

"Boss!" One of the men, the same one who had interviewed Anubin at the Jedi Temple, said. "Are you all done getting the history out of this guy?"

"She did a thorough job. And 'this guy' is standing right here," Anubin said, scowling a little.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, you've heard about the deal, right?"

"Yes. I would first like to go to Dromund Kaas."

"Where's that?"

"It's in the Dromund system. Obviously."

"It's a myth," one of the other archaeologists interjected. "Dromund Kaas is an old folk tale; it's meant to scare children. A whole planet of Sith? Sure."

"Dromund Kaas is real," Anubin argued. "I was born there. I lived there for many years. If you have a map of the galaxy, I can show you where it is."

One member of the team pulled up a map of the galaxy on the holoprojector in the middle of the room. Anubin zoomed in on the arm of the galaxy where the Dromund system was, then on the sector, then on the specific point where the system should have been.

There was nothing.

"I don't understand. It should be right here," he said. "See, Korriban is right there, and then Ziost, but Dromund is nowhere to be found. How can that be?"

"Told you, it's a myth. Pick a different planet."

Anubin sighed. "Very well. Do you know of Yavin 4?"

"Yavin 4. As in, the jungle moon of Yavin."

"Precisely."

Alira interjected before any of the rest of the team could say anything. "Fine. We did promise you anywhere you wanted, so we'll take you to Yavin 4."

"Excellent. When do we leave?"


	6. Chapter 6

Two days later, the archaeologists' ship arrived in the Yavin system. It drifted toward Yavin 4 slowly as the occupants waged a small war.

"I'm telling you, there's a temple at these coordinates. Why do you not believe me about anything?"

"Because I know that there's nothing on the plateau, idiot!"

"What I don't understand is why we can't just take the ship into the atmosphere and check the spot out," Alira muttered, but she was ignored.

"I think I'd know where my own temple was."

"Was! Past tense! There's nothing there anymore!"

"Okay," Alira yelled, "time out. We're doing nothing at this point but wasting time, and we've only been given a week and a half to take Anubin where he needs to go before we have to head back to the University. Can we just take the ship in and check out the spot, please?"

"Fine," the pilot muttered. "Whatever you want, boss. I'm still sure there's nothing there but forest, but whatever."

Anubin rolled his eyes and began pacing the cockpit. He wanted to be there when the pilot was proved wrong.

The ship flew into the atmosphere of Yavin 4, heading towards the coordinates Anubin had provided. As they neared the point, the group in the cockpit could see a small plateau poking up from the jungle that surrounded it. Atop the plateau, below the treetops that covered it, there could be seen the crumbling ruins of a stone structure.

The pilot swore. So did Anubin.

"Damn time! My ship was there, and now it's probably long destroyed!"

"Take us in closer," Alira said.

"I won't be able to land with all those trees in the way."

"That's fine. I'm going to jump."

Alira started. "Are you crazy? You'll never survive the fall!"

Anubin winked. "I've got the Force on my side; I've survived worse."

"Go ahead and kill yourself then," the pilot muttered.

Anubin had to clench his fists to stop himself from shocking the man. Instead, he stalked out of the cockpit towards the exit ramp.

A few moments later, the ramp opened and Alira walked into the airlock. "Be careful," she said. "And, uh, what is it that the Jedi say? May the Force be with you."

Anubin grinned at her. "It always is."

With that, he leaned back and fell out of the ship.

He breathed deeply of the cold air, letting the Force run through him. He could feel sparks dancing on his fingertips, and he laughed.

The dark side ran strong on Yavin 4, and he called on it as easily as he ever had. It whispered to him like the wind did as he fell.

Anubin wasn't sure what it was – the Force or the fall, the near-death experience clearing things up – but he suddenly realized why Alira looked so familiar.

She had Talos Drellik's eyes.

The realization surprised him so much that he barely noticed the ground coming up on him until the Force pulsed in warning. He called on it to cushion his fall and stopped in midair a short distance from the ground. As he let himself drop down, he looked around.

His temple was a mess. The main structure had long since been overtaken by vines and other growth, and the side structures had crumbled under the weight of plant life.

He had landed on the bridge behind the main temple. He turned away from it towards the grove to find more trees having grown throughout the clearing.

He began to walk towards the waterfalls, his favourite meditation spot. His boots made no noise on the stones beneath them, so overgrown were they with moss and lichens.

Beside the larger waterfall, there was still a hole in the wall, opening up into the cave where he had stored the _Angel_ , his beloved ship. He stepped in to find the ship still intact, having withstood the test of time to stand before him.

Joy flooded through Anubin at the sight – _freedom_ – and he ran over to the ship, running his hand along the bottom of her hull as he ducked underneath. He dashed up the loading ramp and keyed in the opening code. The door slid open with a hydraulic hiss.

Inside, it was just as he remembered, if a little dustier. It was nothing a bit of cleaning couldn't fix, though, so he ignored it. Shutting the door behind him, he walked through to the cockpit.

On the captain's chair sat a holoprojector that was already loaded with a log. He turned it on to see a hologram of Talos Drellik stand on the ground beside him.

"My lord, it's now been one month since you left for Zakuul. I haven't heard from you, so I decided to begin recording current events here so that you'll have a record to view when you return.

"The war has been going rather badly –"

Anubin skipped through the recordings until he found the very last one. He played it.

The Talos that appeared beside him in the cockpit was now a stooped old man, but his eyes shone as brightly as they had when Anubin knew him, even in hologram form.

"My lord, it's now been fifty-two years since you disappeared. As you know from watching these recordings, I've served your sister and her family faithfully ever since she found me again on Yavin 4 all those years ago.

"She just passed on yesterday. She is to be buried on Odessen, in the old Alliance base. I've left galactic and planetary coordinates for you, in case you want to visit. They're programmed into the _Angel_ 's galaxy map.

"In light of this event, I thought it was a good idea to make another recording. I fear it will be my last; I'm getting too old to keep trekking through the galaxy to leave you these recordings. These old bones have only so many flights left in them, I'm afraid.

"Along with these recordings, I'll be leaving a sample of my DNA on the _Angel_ , so that you can find my descendants when you return to the galaxy. I only just realized that if you haven't come back yet, and if you don't come back before… before I pass on… you won't have my help in meeting my children, so… I left a sample in the medbay.

"There's not much else to tell you, I'm afraid. Lady Advena's son Anubin has taken the throne, with the help of his fathers. The three powers of this galaxy remain at peace, and the peace doesn't yet seem to be threatened by Lady Advena's death. And I… I'm old. I grow older every day. I suppose that is a natural part of life, though it is a trying one. I just remind myself how many archaeologists would love to study me now, at my age. Sometimes I laugh at that little joke.

"I believe that is all, so I suppose I'll end this recording. Talos Drellik, signing off."

Anubin brushed tears off his face as he turned off the holoprojecteor. He missed Talos. Seeing him as an old man…

To distract himself, he headed for the medbay. Sure enough, on the cot was a canister. Anubin left it where it was for now.

Anubin went over to check the engines. Aside from being covered in dust, they appeared to be in good working order; no creatures seemed to have gotten into the ship during its time in the cave. That was lucky.

He returned to the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat. Pressing a few buttons opened a comm channel, and within a moment he had Alira on the holo.

"Alira," he said, "have you ever heard of a man called Talos Drellik?"

"No, but my grandmother's maiden name was Drellik. She used to tell us kids that some ancestor of ours had sworn himself to a Sith Lord, so we had to watch out for his return. She told some weird stories." She looked nervous. "But that's all they are, right? Stories? I mean, no one would swear themselves to a Sith, they're evil."

"I can tell you some stories that would put your grandmother's to shame."

"Can you really? What kinds of stories?"

"All kinds. But listen. I have a ship now, so I don't need you or your crew anymore. I can go where I want to. I won't tell you anything more about me, or about the past… unless you consent to a DNA comparison."

"Comparison to who?"

"I have a sample of Talos Drellik's DNA. If you agree to have your DNA compared to his, I'll tell you more about the past, and about myself."

"…Deal."


	7. Chapter 7

The two ships met on a planet called Polis Massa – which wasn't so much a planet as it was a space station, located on the ring of asteroids around the planet – and Anubin and Alira went alone to have the DNA test done.

"The two sets of DNA are 50% likely to be from relatives," the medical droid administering the test told the two. "The two sets are too distantly related to be sure. Would you like a genealogical scan performed on the more recent set?"

"Yes. Best trace back about four thousand years, if possible," Anubin replied. Alira scowled at him.

"Very well. The genealogy will be prepared in 30 minutes."

As the droid left the room, Alira stood and glared up at Anubin. "Okay. I've done your DNA test. Why do we need a genealogy done?"

"I need to know for sure if you're Talos' descendant before I tell you any more about myself. I will answer other questions about history that don't have to do with my past in the meantime, though."

"Fine. What about your sister? Will you answer questions about her?"

Anubin closed his eyes. "…Fine. I will answer your questions about Advena."

"Who was she? What did she do?"

"She was a Sith Lord, known at one point as the Wrath of the Emperor, then of the Empire."

"Why wouldn't she be in public records, then, if she was such a prominent Sith Lord?"

"I don't know. What do your records of the time say about her – or anyone?"

"Most of the publics records are pretty sketchy – a lot of stuff was destroyed around the time of the Ruusan Reformation. We know there was a Sith Empire in the Unknown Regions, and that it attacked the Republic and sacked Coruscant, but not much else. I've seen most of the info we have, besides what's in the Jedi Archives; they don't let anyone in there. But I'm a Cold War specialist. I know a lot of what there is to know."

"What were you doing on Zakuul?"

"A lot of writings pointed to a major capital in that sector, so I got a grant from the university we work for and we set out to find it."

"I see. Well, Zakuul was a major capital, but it wasn't the Sith Empire's…"

Anubin briefly went over the events of the Cold War, before launching into a briefing of the events leading up to and during the rekindling of the war, which he'd mostly heard from Emerale and Advena – being Zash's apprentice hadn't allowed for much participation in the war effort, and he'd been several months behind the main events anyway.

They were both so engrossed in the tale Anubin was telling that neither noticed the medical droid return until it dimmed the lights and started up a holoprojector.

"This is the genealogy of Alira Rennik," the droid announced.

Anubin went over to the projector and scrolled back to his time. The holoprojector showed no name, but the projections of the ancestors' faces were clear enough that he could see that one of them was meant to be Talos Drellik.

He traced Alira's family line from Talos back to her, for her own benefit more than his. "See. He is your ancestor. Your grandmother was right."

"I see, yeah. So what? Now I'm tied to some long-dead Sith Lord who could apparently come back?"

"Not exactly. Come with me."

He seized her wrist and pulled her back to his ship, dragging her up the ramp into the cockpit, where the holoprojector still sat.

"Now that we've determined you're truly Talos' descendant, it's time for me to reveal something to you. The Sith Lord that he pledged himself to is not dead. I am that Sith Lord."

Alira stood stunned for a second, then started laughing. "Yeah, right. You, a Sith Lord? As if."

"How should I prove myself to you? No, better – why should I?" Anubin reached out and shot lightning at the wall, feeling much better for having done so. Alira watched this with wide eyes, no longer laughing.

"Do you believe me now?" he growled, releasing more lightning at the wall. "Are you satisfied? I am the Sith Lord of your family's legend. I am Darth Occlus, and I will not be doubted!"

He stopped the flow of lightning, and Alira stared at the scorch mark on the wall. "I… I believe you."

"Good. I didn't want to scare you, but unfortunately such a display seemed necessary. I'm sorry."

She shook her head faintly. "No, I just… Wow. I can't believe this. Grandma's old story come to life in front of me." She laughed a little, in that way that those who are stressed beyond their limits tend to do. "You're not gonna use that on me, are you?"

"No, of course not. I… my mother died from a Sith Lord shocking her. I don't do that to people I enjoy having around."

"Okay. I… I trust you, I guess… I mean, I knew you before I knew you were a Sith Lord. And I watched you kill that guy, so… if you were gonna do that to me, you'd have done it already."

"Most likely. Now… I believe I promised you a story, so I will tell you mine. I was once a slave…"

Anubin poured out his story to Alira, feeling much better for having told it. She took notes throughout, occasionally asking questions to clarify where the events fit into the events of the war. When the story was done, they stood together in silence.

"…Wow."

"It has been an incredible trip."

"I bet, yeah. So… what now? I'm supposed to be your servant, and you've told me your life story, and… well… what now?"

"You have two options. One is to travel with me, and work with me to discover what remains of my Empire, and other such things… the other is to return to your team and keep me appraised of major developments in the Republic. I must admit that I'd prefer the second one, mainly because having an informant will be useful."

"That sounds good to me, too. It'd be pretty weird if I just up and disappeared with you without any warning."

"Yes, I suppose it would."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan. Now… what is that?" She indicated the holoprojector still sitting on the captain's chair.

"It's a holoprojector."

"Anubin!"

He grinned. "It's Talos' log of the war with Zakuul, after my disappearance. I'm going to download it to the _Angel's_ computers, and then you can take it."

"Can I really?"

"You really can."

Anubin led her to the engine room, where he proceeded to download the contents of the holo-log onto the _Angel_ 's computers for later viewing. He handed the log to Alira, who placed it reverently in a pouch on her belt.

"Now, the only thing I need from you right now is an updated map of the galaxy for my navicomputer. If you'd be so kind as to send a copy of yours from your ship…"

"Of course, yeah. And, um… how often do you want me to contact you with news?"

"Once a week or so. If I don't answer my comm, leave a message on the _Angel_ for me, I'll give you my frequency. I'll be in touch if I should need anything from you."

"What kinds of things would you need? I'm not killing anyone for you."

"Of course not, don't be silly. You'll be my informant – I may need you to check something out for me, or look something up or something along those lines. Nothing too major."

"Oh, okay. That'll be no problem."

"I thought not."

Anubin held his hand out to her for a handshake, but Alira pulled him into a hug instead.

"Be careful, wherever you're going. I don't know if Sith say it, but may the Force be with you anyway."

"I told you, it always is. But thank you anyway."

Alira returned to her own ship. A moment later, the _Angel_ 's holo terminal signaled an incoming transmission, and Anubin downloaded the data to the navicomputer. Once the navicomputer was updated, he opened the galaxy map and grinned.

The galaxy was his to grasp once more. High time he reached for it.


	8. Chapter 8

Anubin decided that his first move in this now-unfamiliar galaxy would be to return to Dromund Kaas. To do that, though, he would need a navigator or astromech, since the coordinates he had for Dromund Kaas were several thousand years out of date, and hadn't been updated the way other systems had with data from Alira's computer.

Therefore, his first order of business was to head somewhere where he could find a droid for cheap, since his funds were rather limited. Or where he could steal a droid. Either way, probably Coruscant.

Something in the Force urged him away from Coruscant, though. He decided to meditate to follow this idea, and wound up heading for Tatooine instead.

Well, if the Force said it…

* * *

A day or so later, he touched down in Mos Eisley. A shining silver ship cut through the air above the city to land some distance outside its limits. The Force drew Anubin's attention to the ship, indicating something important was on it.

He headed out of the city in the direction of the ship as fast as he could. On his way, he met the leonine Jedi he'd met on his last day in the Temple – Qui-Gon, he remembered – accompanied by a tall being of indeterminate species, and a young girl.

"Hello," Anubin called.

"Hello there. How strange it is to meet you here, of all places."

"I've had stranger meetings, that's for sure. But this is rather odd. What brings you to Tatooine?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"Master Jedi," the girl cut in, "is this a friend of yours?"

"Of a sorts. I am Anubin Kallig, a Jedi from the distant past. And I am here to stock my ship with supplies."

"Wouldn't it be easier to do that on a Core world?" the girl asked suspiciously.

"Most likely, but I wasn't near the Core, so it would have been a long trip to stock up. As it is, I am here, and I will be getting supplies here. Now, I'll ask again: what are you doing here?"

"Our hyperdrive is damaged," Qui-Gon said, with a look at the girl. "We were sent to find a new one."

"I see. Well, shall we continue?"

Anubin felt into step with the group as they continued on. The girl shot him a glare at this, but he ignored her. She was probably nearly ten years his junior; her opinion of him hardly mattered.

He followed Qui-Gon's group to a little shop full of droid parts and other metallic junk. Anubin wasn't sure how anyone was to find a hyperdrive or parts thereof in this mess, but he kept his observation to himself, choosing instead to watch the little boy who came running in. Judging by the looks of his clothing and the way he flinched when the Toydarian raised his hand, he was probably a slave. Anubin felt his blood begin to boil.

He watched as the boy stared at the girl who had been traveling with them, ignoring Anubin completely. Anubin couldn't fault him; the girl was quite a looker for being so young.

"Are you an angel?" the boy asked.

"A what?"

"An angel. I've heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They live on the moons of Iego, I think."

"I disagree," Anubin murmured. "Angels live in many places. I found an angel on Yavin 4, a long time ago. And even before that, I found one on Korriban."

The boy stared at him in surprise, as if noticing him for the first time. "Korriban? What's that?"

"It's a desert planet, not unlike this one. But instead of being home to moisture farmers and such, Korriban holds only the tombs of ancient Sith Lords."

"How do you know?"

"I went there, a long time ago, as part of my Trials."

The boy looked at him with open awe written all over his face. "Are you a Jedi?"

"I am."

"You said you were from the distant past," the girl said. "What did you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said. I was frozen in carbonite for thousands of years. A team of archaeologists found me three months ago, and the Jedi thawed me out."

"Cool! Can you show me your lightsaber?"

At that moment Qui-Gon returned from the back, so Anubin shook his head with a wink.

"They have what we need. Let's go."

The girl and the tall alien followed Qui-Gon out the door, but Anubin remained. He shook his head to indicate Qui-Gon should go when the man sent him a questioning look.

"How much for the boy?" Anubin asked the Toydarian with an absent wave at the boy. The boy looked vaguely offended, and Anubin wished he could explain what he was doing.

"He's not for sale."

"How about your life, then? Would that be an adequate price?" Anubin drew his lightsaber and held it to the Toydarian's throat.

The Toydarian squawked. "I, ah… well, if you're that interested…"

"I assure you, I am."

"What about my mom? She's enslaved too!"

"The boy and his mother, then."

"You can't take both of my slaves!"

Anubin pressed his lightsaber forward, and the Toydarian shrank back, back pressed against the counter. "I most certainly can, and believe me, I will."

"Don't kill him!" the boy cried. "If he gets murdered, me and my mom will die, too. You need him to deactivate our explosive chips first."

"Well, in that case…" Anubin swept his lightsaber down and removed one of the Toydarian's wings. He crumpled to the ground screaming, and the boy watched with eyes wide in horror.

"You're not really a Jedi, are you?"

"Not exactly," Anubin agreed. "Now, you've seen what I'm willing to do. Release the boy and his mother to me."

The Toydarian sobbed out something incoherent, then reached for his belt. Shakily, he drew a datapad from a pouch and keyed in a few commands.

"It's done! Let me go!"

"Very well. Remember this when you deal in slavery."

Anubin gestured to the boy to follow him and left the shop, heading for the _Angel_. He was gratified to sense the boy following him closely.

When they finally stood together in the _Angel_ 's main hold, the boy stared at Anubin, waiting for an explanation.

Anubin ignored this in favour of more practical introductions. "I am Anubin Kallig. What is your name?"

"Anakin Skywalker. If you're not a Jedi, why do you have a lightsaber?"

"Later. Your first priority is to make yourself at home on this ship. Then you can show me where your mother is so we can bring her here."

Anakin brightened at the mention of his mother. "Can we go get mom now?"

"Very well. Lead me to her."

Anakin led Anubin through the streets of Mos Eisley to a wall of apartment buildings. They entered into one in particular; the interior was shabby and simple, but well-kept.

Inside was an older woman with greying brown hair and lines of hard work clear on her face. She looked up as the two entered, and a bright smile appeared as she looked at Anakin.

"Ani! Did Watto let you off early? And who's this?"

"Better than that!"

"I am Anubin Kallig, and I have freed you and your son from slavery. I was at Watto's shop earlier, and I… negotiated… your safe release."

Anakin beamed as his mother gaped like a fish out of water. "Is… is this true?"

"Yeah, mom! He's some kind of a Jedi, he even has a lightsaber! He made Watto let us go!"

"I did. You're free now." Anubin extended his hand to her. "You're free to come with me, if you wish, or you may remain on Tatooine to do as you will. I have a ship and need a crew."

Hesitantly, Anakin's mother reached out and took Anubin's hand, standing with his help. "You want us to be part of your crew?"

"If you want to be. I will not be your new slave master; you may do as you please, and should you choose to come with me, you will receive a stipend for anything you do for me." He scowled slightly; the expression dropped as he noticed her recoil from him a little. "As soon as I have credits with which to pay you, that is. I will explain the situation should you choose to come with me."

"Oh… okay."

She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she looked away instead. Anakin and Anubin both noticed this, by Anakin was the first to speak up.

"What is it, mom?"

She smiled slightly at him. "I… well, I just had a question, but it's not important." Her focus returned to Anubin. "Would you like something to eat? You're very thin; you look like you haven't eaten anything in a long time!"

Anubin smiled. "I would greatly appreciate your hospitality. Is there anything you need help with?"

"No, no, I couldn't ask you to help! You're a guest here. Take a seat, I'll get dinner ready."

"Very well." Anubin sat on the couch, but no sooner had he gotten comfortable than Anakin started pulling on his hand. "Come on! I wanna show you my droid!"

"Alright then."

Anakin led Anubin to a small soon covered in junk droid parts. On a table lay a humanoid shape covered in wires, evidently Anakin's droid.

Anakin approached the droid and flipped a switch on its chest. The photoreceptors lit up, and the droid sat up and turned to Anakin and Anubin.

"Oh! The maker! And a guest? Hello, I am See-Threepio, human cyborg relations."

"Anubin Kallig."

"Well met, Master Anubin."

"Just Anubin."

"Listen, Threepio! This guy rescued us! We're not slaves anymore!"

"My goodness! Really? Master Ani, this is wonderful news!"

"And even better, he's got a ship! We can finally travel wherever we want!"

"Within reason," Anubin added. "I have places I need to go, so we won't be going just anywhere."

"Will we be going to Korriban?"

"Perhaps. I have a destination in mind, and it's not Korriban – that's for later, perhaps."

"Maybe I can meet your angel!"

Anubin felt as though the boy had innocently stabbed him in the heart, but he mustered up a smile. "Perhaps."

"Ani!" the boy's mother called. "Come help me set the table!"

"Coming, mom!"

Anakin left the room, leaving Anubin and Threepio staring at each other.

"So… what do you do, exactly?"

"I am programmed for a number of functions, including etiquette and translation. I am fluent in over six million forms of communication."

"That could be fairly useful," Anubin muttered. "Other than that, you remind me a great deal of a droid I used to have, who was – well, not the most useful in most of my missions, but had his uses."

"I see. May I ask what the designation of this droid was?"

"Twovee-Aretwelve."

The droid paused. "Sir, the Twovee designation refers to a line of droid manufactured over three thousand six hundred years ago. Where did you find a droid that old in working condition?"

"Yeah, where did you find it?" Anakin asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway. "Mom says dinner's ready, by the way."

"I will explain over dinner, then."

Anubin followed Anakin to the apartments kitchen, where a small table was set for three. The fare was rather meager, but Anubin appreciated the gesture; he knew how little they likely had.

"So, I don't think I properly introduced myself," Anakin's mother said when they were all seated and beginning the meal. "I'm Shmi Skywalker."

"Charmed."

Shmi smiled. "So… Anakin said you were a Jedi. Is this true?"

"I'm afraid I have to answer that with another question. Are you willing to join me as my crew? As I said before, I will pay you, and I will not force you to do anything you don't want to do in my service, but before I can tell you anything about myself, I must know if you intend to join me."

Shmi looked him in the eyes. "I don't know you very well, that's true, but anyone who frees a stranger from slavery cannot be a bad person. I will join you."

Anubin smiled. "I am glad to hear it." He looked at Anakin. "And you, Anakin? Will you be joining me as well?"

Anakin hesitated. "I… All my life, I've always wanted a Jedi to come rescue me. And now it's happened… I still can't believe it. But if I wake up tomorrow morning and this is still real, I'll definitely come with you!"

"Very good. Then, I'll tell you my story. You see, I am no Jedi. I am in fact a Sith Lord from the distant past. I was frozen in carbonite for thousands of years, and now I've returned to the galaxy."

Shmi's eyes widened in horror, as Anakin flinched back in his chair. "You're a Sith?!"

"I am. But I am not the figure of your nightmares and stories. I don't know what you've heard about the Sith, and I don't much care. I am no ordinary Sith."

"Have you… killed anyone?" Shmi asked quietly.

"I have, but only out of necessity."

"Didn't the Sith try to take over the galaxy?" Anakin demanded. "If you're one of them, why should we trust you?!"

"I don't expect you to trust me completely, at first," Anubin admitted quietly. "But I have three reasons why you shouldn't throw me out your door right now. One is that I freed you from slavery and asked for nothing in return. Many would not have been so merciful." He took a small bite of the roast on his plate. "Second is that I came right out and told you I am Sith, instead of deceiving you. Third is that I have done nothing to harm you. You may not believe this, but all I want right now is to find out what happened to my people and then retire peacefully. I… I feel old. I've lost too much to the galaxy to want to influence its fate anymore."

"I wish I could say I truly believe you," Shmi said quietly, "but I can't. I think I understand what you mean, though. And I'm sorry for what you've been through."

"Thank you. All of that said, I'd understand if you didn't want to join me anymore."

"Well," Anakin said, "I don't know much about you. But I think you're a good person. You freed us, after all. And you don't seem like a really bad person, even if you are a Sith. So I'm still gonna go with you." He looked to Shmi with a pleading expression.

Shmi looked utterly overwhelmed. "I… I will think about it."

"That's all I ask."

* * *

Anubin later found himself out on the balcony, watching over Anakin as he played with his friends.

He sensed another presence come out on the balcony, and turned to find Shmi, watching him with hard eyes.

"Why would you free us?"

"I abhor slavery."

She frowned. "Sith are cruel, and only look out for themselves. What do you stand to gain here?"

"A crew for my ship, among other things. I need a navigator for a trip I must take."

"Where are you going? And why did you choose us?"

"As it happens, you were merely there. That being said, coincidences are very rare. I suspect the Force has brought us together for a reason."

Shmi sighed, coming to the edge of the balcony. She looked down at Anakin and his friends.

"He's so happy to be free," she murmured. "He doesn't even care if it was a Sith who freed him, that he's about to go with."

"He's quite trusting."

She grimaced. "Yes. I fear it will be the death of him."

"Perhaps. That said, it is a quality few in the galaxy have. It is something to treasure, not to fear."

She spun to face him, anger written in the harsh lines of her face. "And what if he chooses to trust the wrong person? Like a Sith Lord?"

Anubin raised his hands slightly. "I know you won't trust me, likely for a long time after my revelation. I should not have sprung that on you. I will not apologize, however. You deserved to know." He took a small step towards Shmi, who watched him warily but did not retreat. "If you're so worried about him, come with us."

She looked torn. "I…"

"There's little for you here. I have nothing to offer you to help you find your own feet. I fear if you remain, you will quickly find yourself enslaved again."

"That might be better than helping the scourge of the galaxy."

Anubin barked out a laugh. "No one has ever called me that before. I think I like it." He sobered. "In all seriousness, I meant what I said to you. I'm too old and tired to do anything but retire, at this point. I just want to find what happened to my people… to my sister."

"And then what?"

Anubin shrugged. "Then I will likely find a nice, quiet corner of the galaxy to throw myself off a cliff and join my loved ones."

Shmi started. "But – you can't do that!"

"This from a woman who just finished calling me and my ilk the scourge of the galaxy."

She looked away, conflicted. Finally, she sighed and turned back to him. "In the short time I've known you… you don't seem like that at all." She looked him in the eye. "If I agree to come with you, will you make me a promise?"

"What is the promise?"

"Don't… don't kill yourself. It would destroy Ani."

Anubin looked back out over the balcony, at the boy playing with his friends. It was a difficult promise to make, considering how much he missed everyone.

But…

"I won't."

Shmi watched him, as he stared out at the horizon in silence.

* * *

That night, Anubin stayed in the Skywalkers' house – on the floor, though Shmi offered to give up the bed to him, probably out of habits born in slavery.

He'd have to rid her of her subservience. It was rather uncomfortable.

His sleep was restless, interrupted by flashes of dreams and nightmares – some memories and some nonsensical. Just before the dawn light woke him up, though, he saw Satele and Marr, standing together watching him.

"We're here."

* * *

The day was spent helping the Skywalkers pack up their meager belongings and transferring them to the _Angel_. It didn't take long.

Anubin sat in the cockpit fidgeting while Anakin and Shmi stowed their belongings in their quarters. He wasn't sure why, but he was restless and nervous, like something awful was set to happen if they didn't leave Tatooine as soon as possible.

Just as they were getting ready to depart, he felt a presence approaching. A glance out the viewscreen told him that it was Qui-Gon.

He sighed. He didn't really want to talk to him, but the niceties had to be observed.

Anubin headed to the ramp and waited in the shadow of his ship for Qui-Gon to arrive.

"What do you need?"

"Why did you attack Watto?"

"As I told the slaves I freed from his grasp, I abhor slavery." At the word 'slaves', Qui-Gon flinched slightly. So he hadn't noticed. Pity. The Jedi were failing to do their jobs.

"I see. You shouldn't have attacked him, in any case. A peaceful negotiation could have reaped the same results."

Anubin shrugged carelessly. "He wasn't open to negotiations. Now, if that's all?"

He turned to re-enter the _Angel_. Qui-Gon didn't say anything, but Anubin felt the other man's eyes boring into his back.

"Ugh. The Jedi of this day and age are… ugh."

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, poking his head out of the crew quarters.

"Nothing, really. If you two are settled in, I believe we're about ready to leave."

Anakin nodded with a grin. "Where are we going?"

"I… don't really know," Anubin admitted. "Most likely Coruscant. I have need of a navigator."

Anakin nodded again. "Makes sense."

Anubin headed to the cockpit, Anakin following behind, and noted with some satisfaction Qui-Gon's retreating figure.

Without a remark, Anubin started the engines, and the _Angel_ left Tatooine behind.


	9. Chapter 9

Rather than entering hyperspace immediately, the _Angel_ hovered in orbit above Tatooine so Anubin could make a call.

Alira's face hovered above the holocom. "Hey. What's up?"

"I find myself in need of a navigator, preferably a droid. They would need to have experience or the ability to find nearby systems that aren't on any map. Would you have any recommendations?"

Alira considered this. "Well... We usually use one of the university's droids... they're pretty good at navigating to where unknown systems should be. The one we usually use is a T18 model. I could ask someone where to find one..."

"That would be much appreciated. We'll be heading to the Core as soon as our conversation is over, so if I can find one near the Core, that would be preferable."

Alira nodded. "I'll get right on it. And, uh... who's 'we'?"

"I picked up something of a crew on Tatooine." He gestured to Shmi and Anakin, who came around in front of the holocom. "Shmi and Anakin Skywalker."

Alira waved. "Hi! I'm Alira!"

Shmi looked like she was holding herself back from asking something. Anubin gestured to her to let it out.

"How did you... get involved with Anubin?"

"Bit of a long story, but one of my ancestors used to travel with him, apparently. He pledged our family to service or something like that... so I'm Anubin's eyes and ears!"

"You're like a spy?" Anakin asked, eyes shining. He turned to Anubin. "This is so cool!"

Anubin smiled. "Yes, it is." He focused back on Alira. "While I have you, I may as well get your report."

"Well, nothing really interesting is happening, I guess... I went into the Jedi Temple when we got back to compare notes with the historian you were talking to... I didn't tell her about the holo-log, though. That's all mine." She grinned slyly, and Anubin laughed. "I heard some whispers... Apparently, they sent people to deal with the Naboo blockade, and they just heard that there was some kind of shining light in the Force or something, but they lost it... Not really sure, I just heard the conversation from around the corner."

"Interesting... I may have to follow up on that. If that's all?"

"Pretty much. Nothing really interesting to tell. The Senate is the Senate, they wouldn't know productivity if it slapped them in the face. And no one ever really knows anything about what the Jedi are doing."

"Just as it was, then." Alira laughed. "That will be all. Let me know what you hear about the droid."

Alira mock saluted. "You got it, boss!" The holocom winked out.

Anubin headed into the cockpit, Anakin following behind. As Anubin sat in the pilot's seat, Anakin piped up. "You know, I'm a pretty good pilot. You should show me how to fly the ship!" He made a face. "'Cause your flying... well, in-atmosphere, it was a little bumpy."

Anubin raised a brow. "Bumpy, was it?"

Anakin nodded, staring at the floor suddenly. "Sorry. I just kinda noticed it."

"Nothing to be sorry for. If you could become a better pilot than me, that would be wonderful. I'm not bad, but I have a great deal of room to improve."

"Yeah. I mean…"

Anubin laughed. "My teacher used to say the same thing. Here, let me show you where everything is."

Anubin showed Anakin the hyperdrive controls first, and Anakin took the pilot's seat. It was impressive how smoothly the boy brought the ship into hyperspace; it might have been more impressive if he could reach the floor at the same time.

Something occurred to Anubin. "How old are you?"

"Around nine," Anakin answered casually. "Why?"

"Just curious," Anubin muttered. _So young..._ The boy was apparently a prodigy. "So, you can fly a ship, and you built a droid. Apparently, you must be very good with technology. What else can you do?"

"Well... not much, I guess. I flew podracers sometimes, out in Beggar's Canyon. But Watto mostly had me working on scavenging parts and stuff, so I know a lot about droids and ships and stuff like that."

"You would... wait. Did you say you flew podracers?"

"Yeah...?"

"That's impossible. Humans don't have the reflexes for it."

"Well, I crashed a lot when I was starting out. But sometimes... it was like I could see what would happen next, what my next move was going to be before I even did it." Anakin made a face. "It was kinda weird."

"Not weird at all," Anubin said, coming to a sudden realization. "You're Force sensitive."

"You mean... I could be a Jedi?!"

"If the Jedi found you, you could become one. But there are other paths than becoming Jedi, or even becoming Sith. That's more of a philosophical question, though."

"I guess." Anakin's eyes were shining. "I can use the Force..."

"You can. With time and training, you could learn to use it in more ways than simply flying podracers."

"Yeah!" He looked like something had just occurred to him as well. "Wait. You can use the Force too."

"I can." Anubin smiled.

"You could... could you train me how to use the Force?" Anakin frowned. "I don't wanna hurt people, though. I want to help. Like the Jedi!"

Anubin chuckled. "Your worship of the Jedi is rather misplaced, I think. But you may learn that in time. Regardless, yes, I can teach you to use the Force to help people. But," his tone turned to one of caution, "often people don't want to be helped. And sometimes, in the course of helping people, one can find themselves hurting others, directly or otherwise. Sometimes, helping one person means hurting or killing someone who hurt the first person."

Anakin frowned. "I know. It's like when you hurt Watto to help me."

"Precisely."

"But Watto was a bad guy, wasn't he? It's okay to hurt bad guys."

Anubin sighed. "It's not so black-and-white. Most people are simply trying to make a way for themselves in the galaxy; when they hurt people, it's by accident. You can't decide who's a bad person just by their actions; you also have to look at their intentions, and how badly they hurt the other."

"Oh. I get it, I think."

"I hope you do. Having power like we do – and like the Jedi do – gives us a responsibility to use the power in a way that we can live with. Whether that's being kind to others or carving a path through them."

Anakin nodded earnestly. "Right. I'm gonna use my power to help as many people as I can! As soon as you train me to use it, that is."

Anubin chuckled. "Right. Well, we can begin... as soon as I've rested some."

"Aw."

Anubin ruffled his hair. "Give me a few hours. There's something I need to do as soon as possible."

"Okay. What do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you want to do. While the ship's in hyperspace, there isn't much to be done in the cockpit, so feel free to explore the ship. My room is to the left of the holoprojector; I'll be in it, so for now, it's off limits."

"Okay!" Anakin dashed off out of the cockpit.

Page break

Anubin settled himself into a meditation pose on his bed. He closed his eyes and reached out to the Force.

After a few minutes of drifting, he opened his eyes to find Satele and Marr standing before him. Both were smiling, though Marr had his mask on.

"Satele. Mathias..." Anubin's eyes filled with tears. "You're here."

"We're here," Satele said. "We've missed you, love."

"And I you." Anubin looked at his husband.

Marr inclined his head slightly. "I apologize for our absence. I did not wish to appear in front of the Jedi."

"I understand." He gazed at the two for a moment, content to drink in the sight of his lovers, so long denied to him.

"This boy you've taken on as an apprentice," Marr said after a while. "He is incredibly powerful in the Force."

Anubin nodded. "I noticed a moment ago. His presence is like a sun." Anubin tilted his head. "Alira mentioned something about the Jedi mentioning a bright spot in the Force. I wonder... could Anakin be what they're talking about?"

"It seems likely," Satele agreed. "The Jedi have a prophecy. _A star descends, and the Force comes into balance._ "

"I hadn't noticed an imbalance."

Satele smiled wanly. "You're a Sith. You dwell in the Dark Side. Of course you wouldn't notice when it rules the galaxy."

Anubin rolled his eyes. "You sound like that's a bad thing."

Marr chuckled as Satele rolled her own eyes.

"In all seriousness," Marr interrupted, "a more nuanced understanding of the Force is required. As we told your sister during her crusade against Arcann, there is more to the Force than light and dark, and to limit yourself to one method of using it is to deny yourself power."

"Well, I do love power," Anubin mused. "Do you mean using both the light and dark at the same time?"

"Essentially, but also using the Force as it comes. It is not a force of only light and dark. It is a being in and of itself, with needs and desires greater than mortal beings can fathom. To tap into the Force entirely is to give oneself over to the Force."

"So the idea is to use it while keeping your own sense of self?"

"That is the choice of the individual user. But giving in to the Force entirely tends to get things done," Satele pointed out dryly.

"I think I see." Anubin was quiet for a moment. "I shall have to meditate on this, to make a... more informed decision. Insofar as that is possible." He shook his head. "In any case. The imbalance. Is it a mere imbalance of light and dark, or is there more to it?"

"As it appears, the dark side is winning out over the light," Marr answered. "But there is, of course, nuance. The being who drives the dark seeks dominion, not only over the galaxy, but over the Force itself. If he succeeds in this venture, the universe will be destroyed. The ambition of fools knows no bounds."

"Agreed," Anubin muttered, thinking of some particular examples. "So Anakin's job is to stop this?"

"It is."

"Which means my job is to train him."

If Marr hadn't been wearing his mask, Anubin would have been able to see the pointed expression on his face. Of course, Anubin knew his husband well enough to know his expressions without seeing them.

Anubin sighed. "I'm not going to get to retire like I wanted to, am I?"

* * *

 **A/N** : I just wanted to apologize for how long it's taken me to update this fic. Between depression and general life stuff, motivation's been a little thin on the ground for the past while. Rest assured, though: none of my stories are dead until I say they're dead. This goes for _Harry Potter and the Dark Councillors_ , _Out from Under, Memory_ and _Experience,_ and _To Find the Triforce_ , plus any other ones I've forgotten.

I also wanted to say that in this burst of motivation, I've figured out some plot points for most of the rest of this story and am going to outline at least the next couple of chapters tonight.

Without further ado, please enjoy chapters 10 and 11 of Awaken, which I'm posting back-to-back with chapter 9 for your convenience and reading pleasure.


	10. Chapter 10

"So. You want to learn to harness the Force?"

Anakin nodded eagerly.

"Take a seat, then. Our first lesson is meditation."

Despite the vague look of disappointment in his eyes, Anakin plopped down into a cross-legged position on the cargo hold floor. His mother stood in the doorway, watching Anubin's instruction with an odd mixture of fondness, curiosity, and slight worry.

"In order to call on the Force, you have to understand what it is in relation to you – to your mind and your body," Anubin lectured. "Not only is it a form of energy – it's your link to the rest of the universe. You have to find how it's linked to you, and reach out from there." Anubin sat in front of Anakin, assuming a comfortable position. "Close your eyes, and clear your mind..."

To Anubin's immense surprise and gratification, Anakin was able to touch and reach out into the Force within a few short hours of meditiation. He progressed to the point of being able to lift a small object a few inches off the floor and hold it there for more than ten seconds by the time they reached Coruscant.

When they landed in a small public docking bay near the university Alira worked for, Anubin informed Shmi that she would be coming with him to meet Alira and the contact she'd found to sell Anubin a droid. His story was that they were the captain and second-in-command of a team of spacers who'd heard rumors of a lost planet on the far reaches of the Rim, and that they needed a droid to help them navigate.

Anubin knew that his story wouldn't be enough on its own to assure the investment of the droid, especially with no credits to back his word. But he was planning to rely on Alira and Shmi a little bit – the first for a small credit loan, and the second to back up his story.

Of course, liberal use of Force suggestion wouldn't hurt, either.

Shmi agreed to come along, though she became a little anxious when they stepped out on the _Angel_ and into the crowds of Coruscant. She relaxed a touch when Anubin took her hand in a calming gesture.

"It's alright. Just take a breath. Nothing is going to hurt you."

Shmi smiled a little, wryly and sheepishly. "I know. It's just so... loud. Even Mos Eisley's market wasn't this crowded."

Anubin nodded. "I remember my first visit to Kaas City. I'd never seen so many beings in one place before. The Academy was barren by comparison." He took her hand in both of his. "Do you want to go back to the ship?"

Shmi wavered for a moment before shaking her head and straightening herself. "No. I can do this."

Still, Anubin noticed that she clung to his hand as they walked.

When they arrived at Alira's place, the mousy woman was waiting for them with a smile and a hug for Anubin. She grinned at Shmi, then turned conspiratory.

"Now, I've been feeling out what the guy wants out of this. He's almost ready to invest the droid in your venture, but he's gonna want at least half of the profits of whatever you find."

"Not likely," Anubin muttered. "If I didn't need the droid and didn't want to keep a low profile, I've half a mind to walk away or show him exactly where he can put his half. But I'll just have to live with it." He frowned at Alira nonetheless. "Tell me again why I couldn't just hire myself out to your university?"

"The Cold War branch of the History department is pretty small, unfortunately. The University just doesn't have the interest to increase our budget, and any grants you could apply for require you to be employed by some kind of educational institution on at least a contract basis."

Anubin opened his mouth.

"And no, I've checked and the Jedi Temple doesn't count under that."

Anubin closed his mouth.

"Oh well," he shrugged. "I'll be able to negotiate the terms of investment well enough to not lose anything vital. Worse comes to worst, I could always detour to Korriban and raid some half-picked-over tomb or something like that."

Sure enough, Anubin walked out of the droid dealer's office three hours later with an agreement to twenty percent of his profits. Alira rolled her eyes at his triumphant expression as he strutted out of the office.

Anubin, Shmi, and their new droid, T17-A5, walked Alira back to her apartment, thankfully unaccosted by any passersby or mysterious attackers. With a promise to get in touch as soon as they hit the Dromund system, the three returned to the _Angel_ , where the droid promptly settled in working on astronomical calculations with the _Angel's_ navicomputer.

Page break

Three days later, the route had been calculated, and the _Angel_ was in hyperspace. Anubin found himself pacing the main hold, excitement at seeing Dromund Kaas again tempered by anxiety at what they would find there. Would the planet be barren of life? Flourishing? Would there still be a Sith Empire, or had they disappeared as was widely believed?

After two days of watching him wear a trench into the durasteel floor, Shmi summoned the courage to speak up. "Anubin... tell me what's bothering you."

He looked over at the sound of her voice, but he wasn't really seeing her, Shmi knew.

"It's just... I don't know what I expect to find. I suspect that all that will be left are crumbling ruins and endless jungle, but... something whispers that my loved ones must still be there. Must still be alive, as if I'd never left them. As if I'd never left Dromund Kaas."

His head dropped, and she barely heard his next whisper. "As if I hadn't run to my death."

Shmi just managed to catch him before he crumpled to the floor, tears pouring down his face. His chest began to shake, and Anubin buried his face in Shmi's neck, heedless of the way his sharp horns pricked her skin. She ignored it.

"Tell me what happened, before you were put into carbonite," Shmi said – a request, gentle but firm. Anubin found himself pouring out the story, unable to stop his mouth.

"Eight months before... the Empire had been attacked. I was one of a number who were called by one of my fellow members of the Dark Council as a scouting and raid party to seek revenge on the attackers. But our ship was attacked, by forces of the Eternal Empire... I made it away from the meeting point safely, but my sister and my husband were captured, imprisoned, and exectuted by the Eternal Empire.

"From there, open war was declared across the galaxy. As a member of the Dark Council, I was a leader of our forces, but I was tired, and angry, and grieving. Without telling anyone, I took a shuttle alone to Zakuul, the capital planet of the Eternal Empire. I was trying to fight my way to the Emperor, to destroy him or die trying.

"But I didn't die. When my vision went black... The last thing I remember before waking up in the Jedi Temple was those droids, their Skytroopers, closing in around me. I thought I would die there... and I was happy for it. I would see Advena and Marr again..."

At the last sentence, Anubin's voice cracked, and his sobs took over for his words. Shmi held him for a while, silently, absorbing his story and letting him grieve.

A moment later, Anubin felt a pressure on his back, between his shoulder blades. He turned to see Anakin, hand resting on his spine, face sympathetic and kind.

"I'm sorry you lost so many people," the boy said quietly. "I know that nothing can make up for that, but... Just remember that you have us now. And Alira. We're here for you."

"Of course," Shmi agreed. "You're starting to build a life here. You can't go back... but you can continue on. Maybe you'll never get over your loss, but you can still live on."

Anubin was silent for a while. Of course, to them it seemed so simple – they weren't the ones living his nightmare...

But they were still right.

And it was high time he remembered that.

He smiled, a small smile, a barely noticeable turning of the corners of his lips. But it was there. And Anakin and Shmi saw it, and their answering smiles lit the coals in his heart on fire.


	11. Chapter 11

Three days later, the _Angel_ touched down in the half-reclaimed ruins of Kaas City's central square. Almost immediately, Anubin was out of the captain's chair and headed for the ramp, Anakin hot on his heels.

Just before they reached the door, Anubin turned around and stopped Anakin. "Wait on the ship."

"How come? I wanna see Kaas City too!"

"It could be very dangerous. Last I was here, the jungle held all manner of massive predators, and there are probably still vine cats and such wandering around the planet. Not to mention that the city itself is in ruins. Any of these buildings could fall at any moment. And you've no way to defend yourself from any of it."

Anakin's face took on a stubborn cast, and Anubin sighed. "I suspect," he said firmly, "that we will find ourselves spending a lot of time on this planet in the near future. But until such time as I find a safe place for us to base ourselves, you will do as you're told and stay on the ship. Do you understand?"

Anakin held Anubin's stare for a moment longer, before the boy sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll stay on the ship. But as soon as you find out it's safe, comm me so I can come with you. Deal?"

Anubin rolled his eyes. "Very well. Deal." They shook on it, then Anubin headed down the ramp.

He stepped out from the cover of the _Angel_ and stood, confused, in the ruins for a moment. It took him a second to realize what was off.

It wasn't raining.

Anubin looked up past the shroud of half-decayed buildings to the sky beyond. It was overcast, but the clouds were not nearly as dark as they normally were.

And then the reason clicked – the dark side, while in evidence on the planet, did not run as strongly here anymore as it had millennia ago. The Sith Emperor's experiments and influence had died out thousands of years ago with the being himself.

Anubin didn't stray very far from the _Angel_ in his preliminary explorations – given that it was almost dusk, to do so would have been foolish. But he went far enough that several things were made clear to him.

The first was that the Sith Empire as he'd known it was no more. If they still existed, Kaas City would not be an abandoned and decaying husk of its former glory; in fact, it would likely be far larger and more impressive than it had when Anubin knew it.

The second was that there was a wealth of information and understanding still to be gained from the planet. He could feel several Force presences still lingering on the surface, no doubt in the form of Sith ghosts and entombed artifacts. His experience with such things made that child's play to determine.

And the last was that he would be training Anakin here, at least for a while. It would be an ideal planet to base himself from: not only was it a source of knowledge that ran the gamut from ancient to familiar, but it was still unknown to the galaxy at large, making it an ideal place to train an apprentice without being disturbed.

There were a few issues, though. First and foremost among them was the droid dealer. Anubin knew that if he tried to disappear with the droid, the man would likely send the authorities after him. Whether or not they were capable of finding him, they would be a nuisance if he tried to rejoin the galaxy after his hermitage.

On the other hand, if he returned with the droid, the dealer would be able to tell where he was. Anubin could, of course, wipe the droid's memory, but there were ways of finding data that had been wiped from a droid's memory. No data was ever truly gone.

Anubin knew that the lesser of the two evils was to return the droid and then return to Dromund Kaas, but the necessity of leaving was irritating. He wanted to work on advancing Anakin's training immediately, not in two days' time.

Still, it had to happen. Anubin returned to the _Angel_ for the night, making up his mind to find the nearest tomb and raid it in the morning.

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The raid went far more smoothly than Anubin had anticipated. The wildlife had apparently, over thousands of years, bred out their manic aggression, so even the largest of the vine cats that had made the tomb their home were no major threat. Anubin was able to halfway fill the cargo hold with artifacts and assorted pieces from the tomb, which he estimated to be from just before the rekindling of the Cold War.

In fact, as he looked at the statuary of the tomb, it seemed very familiar. And then he remembered – Darth Vowrawn's apprentice, Qet, had organized the building of this tomb for his master, shortly before Anubin had left the Academy. He remembered Vowrawn laughing about something to do with this tomb at some dinner party or another, shortly after Anubin's ascension to the Dark Council. As Anubin recalled, Qet himself had been buried here after his murder at the hands of another apprentice.

Irony, Anubin thought, was one form of humor that was not sparing among Sith Lords.

After loading the cargo hold with the pieces, Anubin told Anakin to lift off and set a return course for Coruscant. The return of the droid was better done sooner than later; the dearth of artifacts in his hold could be explained away easily enough, and then they could return to Dromund Kaas to start Anakin's Force training in earnest.

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The droid dealer accepted Anubin's money and explanation with some suspicion, but he decided that the money he received was enough to more than cover his investment of the droid in the venture, so he made no protests.

Anubin checked in again with Alira and made sure she was aware of his plans for the next while – at least three years would be needed for Anakin's basic training, Anubin estimated, but of course that number was highly flexible – and that he would be communcating with her at least every few weeks for updates on the galaxy's goings-on.

"If you ever find yourself, going stir-crazy out on the Rim, let me know. I can probably find some vacation time or something I've banked over the years to come out and meet you somewhere." Alira's eyes glittered. "Besides, I'd love to go tomb-plundering on a forgotten planet. Zakuul can't be the highlight of my career!"

Anubin laughed. "I'll remember that."


End file.
